Holy Angels - Woodbury, NJ
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Monday, 5th Week of Lent

4/3/2017

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Today's Gospel
John 8: 1-11


Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning He arrived again in the temple area, 
and all the people started coming to Him, 
and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman 
who had been caught in adultery 
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to Him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught 
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?"
They said this to test Him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against Him.

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
But when they continued asking Him,
He straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin 
be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again He bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So He was left alone with the woman before Him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, sir."
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more."
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Reflection
No one but God has the power or authority to condemn us, but the fear of being condemned by those around us can impact us greatly. We base our decisions on what we think will make us accepted. And sometimes we will even sacrifice our morals if they are unpopular. The woman in today’s Gospel was mocked in regards to her sin, and but so often we find ourselves being judged for fighting to do what is right.

It is impossible to please everyone. When we are aiming to please the world, we are not aiming to please God. When we seek Him, the rest will fall into place. This means that sometimes we will not be accepted, but that is a risk of presenting the Truth. More than anyone, Christ understands what it feels like to be mocked and tortured for the sake of righteousness. We have no control over how others react. Our responsibility lies in choosing to live as God has intended for us. His judgment is the only one that matters.

Just as He freed the woman who committed adultery, Christ chooses to free us from condemnation as well. In accepting this gift of freedom, we must also not condemn our neighbors. We remember in today’s Gospel that “they went away one by one.” What if the first person had not left? Would the rest have stayed as well? What would you have done? Today, chose to not judge or condemn, but chose to do good. Don’t wait for the initiation of someone else. Be an example of courage and faith. 
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Tuesday, 4th Week of Lent

3/28/2017

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Today's Reading 
John 5:1-16
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, He said to him,
"Do you want to be well?"
The sick man answered Him,
"Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
"It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." 
He answered them, "The man who made me well told me,
'Take up your mat and walk.'"
They asked him,
"Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?"
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
"Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you."
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because He did this on a sabbath.
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Reflection

In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. What a miracle! In this scene we can see how the healing waters of Bethesda foreshadow the healing powers found in the sacraments. There is true grace and healing that comes from the sacraments. May we use this time of Lent to receive them as much as possible so we may be strengthened in our own faith and healed of the wounds within us. Just like those in the reading who sought physical healing, we too are in need of healing in our own lives, whether that be physical, spiritual or emotional. In order to be healed, we must bring our wounds to the feet of Jesus.  

The miraculous healings performed by Jesus are signs of the complete healing that takes place. God’s healing is always that of the whole person.  The key element in this passage is when Jesus asks the man: “Do you want to be well?” We must open our hearts and dispose ourselves to the healing that Jesus wants to give or we cannot begin to receive it. This man had waited for a very long time but because of his patience and faith, he was ready to accept what Jesus wanted to freely give him.


When Jesus sees the man in the temple, He reminds him that he must go forth having been healed and sin no more. When we experience the healing power of God’s mercy, we must also make a firm promise not to fall back into our old ways and for this we rely on the healing transformation that has taken place, which is the strength of Christ. Our hope is in Christ who has come to heal us of all that prevents us from accepting His love. Today, in prayer,  ask the Blessed Mother for the grace to have your heart opened so that you may be ready to receive the healing power of Jesus’s love into your soul.
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Tuesday, 3rd Week of Lent

3/21/2017

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Today’s Gospel
Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked Him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
 who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.

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Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
 as I had pity on you?'

​Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
 until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."
Reflection
Today’s Gospel reading highlights an essential element of our faith: forgiveness. Jesus tells us that we are called to forgive always. The person who holds a grudge and refuses to forgive is weighed down and burdened. Just as God is merciful to us, we are called to be merciful and forgiving to all those we encounter. We must let go and allow God to work in us. 

Christ’s message of forgiveness is a message of freedom but we have to want to be free. Forgiveness is ultimately a choice. God has given us free will and we must exercise that in order to find the freedom we so desperately seek. In order to truly forgive we must unite ourselves to God  through prayer,  because we know that we cannot do it on our own. Prayer becomes the dialogue of love where God communicates His strength to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same Spirit who breathes the divine life in us. Armed with the Spirit of God, we are able to overcome our weaknesses and forgive others. 


Christ came to liberate us. Our hope is Christ, who shows us that we must pray for those who harm us and by doing so we not only liberate them, but ourselves in the process. Today, think of the things you may be holding on to or the person in your life that you need to forgive, and make the choice to fully forgive them. Ask God to give you the strength to let go of what is hurting you and allow His grace and peace fill your heart.
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Monday, 2nd Week of Lent

3/13/2017

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Today's Gospel
Luke 6: 36-38 

Jesus said to His disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."
Today's Reflection
Today's Gospel shows us that we are not dealt with according to our sins, but according to how we loved. Christ gave His life for us on the cross so that we may be free from the eternal punishment of sin. It is our responsibility to accept His sacrifice. We do this through repentance, which requires the rejection of sin and the will to do good. It is not so much a matter of how you have sinned in the past, but if you have resolved to sin no more.

What does it look like to live without sin? We are called to love, to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful, not to judge and condemn, but to forgive. We must forgive. We have all been hurt by someone. To forgive is not to be okay with what has happened, but to free the one who has wronged you of their debt, to reaffirm them in love. Do not forget that you must also forgive yourself for the wrongs you have committed. If God has chosen to forgive you, who are you to disagree? We must also give. We are called to share of our time, treasure and talent, not from our excess, but from our first fruits. When we refuse to give, we are unable to receive.

We are to offer to the Lord not only what is good, but also our sins and sufferings. Anything you might be holding on to (regret, addiction, despair, etc.) prohibits you from receiving what the Lord has to offer you (joy, freedom, hope, etc.). Today, surrender all of this to Him and remain united with Him in prayer and your heart will be filled with His great love. 
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    Lenten Reflections

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Parish Office
81 Cooper Street 
Woodbury, NJ
Phone 856-845-0123
 Office Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm Monday-Friday
​Fax: 856-845-7409
Email: mail@holyangelsnj.org 
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